Overrun
by Death Eater Bella
Summary: A need to go back for supplies sets certain events in motion causing Gordon to re-assess his life making him realise that it wasn't quite just the buildings that were crumbled and worn....Character death, Gordon-Alyx. Set in HL2:Ep1


_Author's Note: This is set in that scene in Half-Life 2: Episode 1 when Alyx and Gordon are fighting antlions in a garage/parking lot. My inspiration for this story came when in-game Alyx died. Also a thanks to my darling for reading this through with me and reassuring me of my awesomeness :) Enjoy:D_

**Overrun**

"Cover me, Gordon!" Alyx cried as she ran down the concrete slope, one step closer to their exit; their escape from the barrage of antlion attacks. Gordon nodded as he ran up behind her knocking out antlions one by one with every shot fired from his shotgun. Gordon noticed up above on the level they just came from, a supply crate tucked away in the murky shadows behind an abandoned car. He pointed it out to Alyx.

"We need those supplies, Gordon! Go and get them, we don't know when we can replenish our ammo or med-kits. I'll be fine!" She flashed a confidant grin at him as she turned back to shooting the antlions which were pouring out of seemingly every crack in the broken building. Gordon quickly raced up the slope, crushing dead antlions underfoot in his haste to spend as little time away from Alyx as possible.

The crate was the answer to their prayers, it held med-kits and shotgun ammo; the very things they desperately needed. The next sound was perhaps the opposite; the beginning of what would be a nightmare in the making. Alyx cried out loudly in pain; she was injured. Gordon spun around in horror at the sound of her voice. The next few moments seemed to stop time it self; Gordon picked up the supplies and ran down the slope as fast as the debris would allow him in his effort to reach Alyx in time. His heart almost stopped as he watched her suddenly clutch at her side in pain, blood seeping between her fingers. He knew she was in trouble as antlions began to crowd her, piling up quicker than she could dispose of them.

"Gordon!" she gasped as she fired off her shotgun in every which way direction she could point. "I need you!" Gordon made to jump the rest of the way down thinking he would deal with the pain and possible injury later when Alyx was safe. Cold hard concrete met his face as he realised his foot had jammed beneath a car and the rubble remains of once smooth roads.

Tears sprung in his eyes as his foot refused to budge; not for the pain or fear for his own life but for the cries of fear and pain from Alyx that resounded off the crumbling ruin. He lifted his head, struck by the cruel irony that the awkward position in which he fell still afforded him a perfect view of Alyx's struggle to withhold the antlions overpowering her second by second. He tried to call out to her forgetting in that instant that use of his vocal chords left him long ago.

Her freshly renewed screams alerted him to the fact she had been struck again. With a fresh burst of energy he pulled his foot free, bring a chunk of concrete with it. Gordon practically flew down the rest of the way fighting the few antlions that chose to break off from the group and come after him. After destroying them with angry swipes of his crowbar, he looked towards Alyx and their eyes met. In that instant he could see the fight dying from her eyes as the pain of her injuries were catching up with her. With one final burst of courage she emptied her clip into the nearest antlions head, the acceptance and farewell marring her beautiful eyes heartbreaking, as a fresh wave of antlions overwhelmed her completely and in that instant she had disappeared from sight, buried under the seething heap of creatures.

Anger, regret and fear rushed through him as he ran towards the swarm of antlions leaving their broken and crushed bodies in his wake in his desperate effort to reach Alyx. Silence finally reverberating off the walls as Gordon slaughtered the final antlion. He stumbled and fell to his knees holding her battered and bruised body in his arms. His heart pounded painfully as he checked for signs of life, He reached over to her neck to feel for a pulse when her eyes fluttered open.

"Gordon…" she said weakly as she brought her hand up around his wrist. "Tell my father that I love him." Gordon clenched his fists as he gave her a look which plainly said that she can tell Eli herself. Bringing out his med-kits he set about tending to her wounds when she stilled his hand, stopping his movements. "No." She coughed violently, lying still with her eyes closed for a moment in an effort to regain her composure. "You mean the world to me Gordon Freeman, you gave me hope where there was none and gave me the courage to stand up and fight for what was rightfully mine….ours. You saved my life; it was an honour to fight by your side."

Gordon brought his hand up and ran his gloved fingers gently down her face, Alyx leaning into his touch as he let his hand linger. He looked into her eyes, bearing his soul for her to see. The relieved, happy expression that filled her eyes told him that she knew what he couldn't say, what he longed to say to her. She smiled softly as she rested her head against his arm closing her eyes. The world froze in that moment, all sounds fell away there was nothing in his world except the woman he loved lying in his arms, her last breath spent. He clutched her tightly, fighting the urge to curl up into a ball and cry. He would remain strong for her as she was in her final moments.

Standing up, with Alyx's limp body in his arms, he took in his surroundings. The building around them was crumbled and broken as if it had stood for hundreds of years. A mark of the Combine's invasion of Earth; everything that had life, which was young now looked old, worn and tired. Much like himself, he mused bitterly as he tucked her body safely against his, walking resolutely forward; the dust and dirt on his face, masking the tears in the eyes.

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_Also in case anyone was interesting my sequel to "Finding His Voice" is in-progress, this will follow some canon events in Episode 2 and of course my ever-going Gordon/Alyx ship :D Stay tuned :)_


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